Crawford SRP/LMP = Underated

[H16]

I am quite fond of the car that was raced on and off for the last two years in Grand Am called the Crawford. Muslane Mike did a wonderful job as usual going through all the changes the car witnessed.

I know when it was announced, it was said that the car could run in either Grand Am or ALMS/Le Mans. It is quite sad that the car's life is perhaps ended.

It was an American built car and I felt it had potenial. Kevin Doran thought it might be an "Audi beater", and while that was very optimistic, does anyone know if the car ever was tested in ACO format with diffuser, carbon brakes, etc.

[Fogelhund]

I am not going to pretend to know all that is technical and the capabilities of the Crawford.

Having said that, this food for thought. Dyson drove the Crawford, and a single MG in 02'. Then chose to buy a second MG, and no longer be involved with the Crawford. I think this basically sums up its capabilities. It was consistantly slower then the Dallara, which in turn is slower then the MG.

[Fogelhund]

Oops double post.

[RacingManiac]

Dyson never did run it under ALMS spec though, the car was never in ALMS spec, Dyson just made a reasonable choice that anyone would've done. To go with Crawford in LMP900 under ACO rule for 2003 would've been stupid since the current formula ends in 03, so rather than spend another "development year" like they did with MKIIIC, they chose to run the more sufficiently developed MG Lola. IMO, Crawford is a car with potential, just rather poor timing....

I don't think Dallara is necessarily slower than MG, Oreca certainly showed the car is as fast as the Audis in qualifying trim, just the Judd don't have the reliablity to go all the way if it was run under that trim....

[veeten]

but that's the Dallara that Doran ran in Grand Am, without the diffuser/downforce package that Oreca ran in FIA SCC.

This season, they're racing in ALMS with the package and the 5.0L V10 engine, which should prove to be capable.

[Lee Janotta]

It wasn't a match for the Dallara-Judd when they were _both_ in Grand-Am trim, I doubt it'd be too different in ALMS trim, where both cars would get the s**t kicked out of them by the Audis, MGs, Panozes and R&S MkIIICs.

[veeten]

The R&S of R&M Racing would've provided a better direction for the Crawford, with their re-engineered front and rear pieces. For some of the longer road courses that ALMS uses, they would've been more competitive.

Just goes to show what an uncompetitive rules package (Grand Am) can do to a possibly competitive chassis.

[Dauntless]

What is your basis for claiming that it's GA's rules fault that the Crawford isn't competitive, instead of deficiencies in the Crawford's design, construction and development cycle?